Wet blast cleaning of aluminium extrusion dies

• Published in: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology Vol. 79; no. 3
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 22.05.2007
• Subjects: Aluminum; Automotive wheels; Blast cleaning; Cabinets; Damage; Degreasing; Emission; Extrusion dies; Legislation; Rounding; Shot blasting; Solvents; Substrates; Surface preparation; Waste disposal; Water reuse; Weight reduction; Wire products
• ISSN: 1748-8842; 0002-2667; 1758-4213
• DOI: 10.1108/aeat.2007.12779cab.002

According to Vapormatt the process has been found to provide a more gentle cleaning action than conventional dry shot blasting, with less potential substrate damage, which helps to extend die life and minimise the risk of damaging delicate edges – there is no edge burring or excessive “rounding”. The operating pressure of the process is highly controllable and effluent from the machine is processed through a filtration system, which separates out solid waste for safe disposal and allows the water to be recycled. Because no solvents or other potentially hazardous chemicals are used by the wet blast process, it is not subject to stringent EU solvent emission, VOC or dust emission legislation. Use of the machine can achieve important benefits and significantly streamline the die cleaning operation Vapormatt manufactures a wide range of wet blasting cleaning and degreasing systems, extending from small manual cabinets suitable for automotive workshops to large automatic machines used for special applications such as the surface preparation of wire products and the de-painting of aircraft wheels.